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Reyda Wessenhaus
= Reyda "Heart Seven" Wessenhaus = Current proprietor of the shadiest printing works producing the most-read taboo publishing across the whole Onus Region, orchestrating the most complex logistics outside of the military under pressure from both sides of the law, Reyda did not begin his life ever thinking he would be where he is today. Growing up in the upper echelons of society in Port Precipice's Wessenhaus family sheltered Reyda from the harsh realities of life in the rest of the city. He spent most of his youth relentlessly hounding anyone who was young and single, much to the embarrassment of his older step-sister, Adriana. She taught him how to paint, write and play instruments in a vain attempt to channel his energies to something more tasteful. Instead, he just used these skills to help him woo more hopeless youth. It wasn't long before financial security, lack of responsibility and lack of purpose equated to boredom. Reyda began producing caricatures of his tutors and capturing candid moments with his eidetic memory, reproducing them later in quill ink. Such talents don't go unnoticed for very long, and he was quickly contacted by an individual named Diamond One. Reyda was given a Seven of Hearts card from a deck bearing the name 'Dreadquill', told this would be his alias when working for them - each worker, runner or contributor was assigned a call sign from the Dreadquill deck, the owner of the deck (and thus the only one who knew everyone's real identities) was Diamond One. It was good money for those who didn't have a near limitless disposable bank account to dip into, but it wasn't the money Reyda was working for. It was an opportunity for Reyda to kick back at those who kept him in his place, and to level the class barriers between those he knew - reducing everyone he satirised to the same sordid levels. For a man as easily bored as Reyda, silently poking fun at the ruling classes held his attention for only so long. His drinking, whoring and gambling in the rotgut pits of Port Precipice lead to some serious debts to some serious people. In payment, he was forced to hand over his family's Ruling Hab Pass - a limited-run hereditary passport that allows access to Port Precipice's ruling elite quarters. There are a limited number of passes, so they are passed down from generation to generation, fathers allowing sons to live in the Silver Spires when their time comes. This didn't stay secret for long, and when his family found out, in their shame, they had no choice but to send him into exile. Weeks, maybe months passed as Reyda scraped together enough money to spend on drowning his sorrows before his luck turned, and not in an immediately beneficial manner. Kidnapped from a bar and imprisoned for several days, Reyda was questioned extensively about a man called "Club Nine" and "Heart Seven", both of which Reyda used - sometimes its good to have multiple aliases when you live a life under the radar. The kidnappers produced a copy of the Precipice Dreadquill depicting themselves fighting a pair of giant ground worms - illegal xenos being used in arena brawls. Reyda recognised it instantly as his own work - he had been given a security tape by one of his contacts depicting the fight, and had used it as a plot line for his stories, thinking nothing of it. As it transpired, the kidnappers, whoever they were, were also alien hunters and investigators who would prefer to remain unnoticed, and Reyda had inadvertently recorded their exploits and distributed the story for half the city to read! The investigators released him on parole and left to deal with Dreadquill directly. Redya received word from them (more explicitly, was kidnapped again), saying that Diamond One has disappeared, and the ownership of the Dreadquill printworks had changed ownership. They would install Reyda as the new proprietor, give him support and contacts in exchange for a small;cut of the profits and the license to occasionally print a story to their own benefit. After all, when your digest reaches the hands of almost every working man in the Region, the prospects for Inquisitorial acolytes are just mind-boggling. Reyda seems to have finally found his calling, or at least, something to keep his hands and mind occupied. The Precipice Dreadquill is now stronger than ever, but with increasing pressure from both sides of the law for 'protection money' and interest from the Mack Conglomerate means trying times ahead for Reyda. However, all of these issues pale in comparison to Reyda's personal fear - what happens when Diamond One comes back?